21 January 2015
The preventive effect of adequate magnesium intake on developing type 2 diabetes appears to vary depending on genetic variations and ethnicity, reports a new US study.
The observational study analyzed magnesium intake, cases of type 2 diabetes, and specific genetic variations in 7,287 African-American women and 3,285 Hispanic women between the ages of 50 and 79 (1). The study results showed that the participants’ risk of developing type 2 diabetes varied depending on magnesium intake, genetic variations (polymorphisms) in magnesium-related ion channel genes, and ethnicity. For example, among Hispanic women with low magnesium intake, certain single-nucleotide polymorphisms were associated with an increased risk of diabetes. Among African-American women with high magnesium intake, one specific gene variation was found to have a diabetes-protective effect.
The researchers commented that earlier large prospective studies of men and women have already associated increased magnesium intake with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes (2). The absorption of magnesium (Mg2+) relies on ion channels coded by genes of which several single-nucleotide polymorphisms are known. Such genetic variations in ion channels can significantly influence the body’s magnesium supply and glucose metabolism, and are associated with the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (3). A sufficient intake of magnesium may partially compensate for magnesium deficiency caused by such genetic mutations. Further confirmation of these recent observations is needed from future mechanistic studies, the scientists noted.
A new study from the US has reckoned that doubling serum levels of 25hydroxyvitamin D showed to be the “most cost-effective way to reduce global mortality”.
1 August 2014
Maternal nutritional status, diet and exposure to environmental factors are increasingly acknowledged as potential factors affecting fetal growth, both by altering nutrient availability to the fetus and by modulating placental gene expression, thus modifying placental function.
18 April 2012
High intakes of vitamin a, beta-carotene or vitamin B1 maybe linked with a twofold reduction in risk of open-angle glaucoma compared to low intakes of the nutrients, says a new study from the Netherlands.
